Sleep apnoea vs insomnia

There are actually dozens of sleep disorders recognized by the Classification of Sleep Disorders (ICSD-2), including sleep disorders and insomnia. Surprisingly, having both Obstructive sleep disorder (OSA) and insomnia is a standard occurrence.

A study concluded that almost the identical amount of those who sought treatment for OSA was also found to have insomnia and contrariwise.

The relationship between sleep disorder and insomnia could also be confusing to process but consider it as a car engine that’s not starting.

It can be thanks to a dead battery, bad alternator, dirty spark plugs, or maybe cold weather—but the mechanic must investigate what’s causing issues with the engine. If sleep disorder was the engine, insomnia can be a possible cause.

What is insomnia?

Being the most common variety of upset, Insomnia is defined as the difficulty in falling asleep or difficulty in maintaining sleep nightly or most nights, despite the adequate opportunity to sleep.

Other varying symptoms and signs include arousal too early in the morning, incapability to fall back to sleep and rummaging episodes of uncomfortable or disturbed sleep. Consequences of insomnia may vary from one person to another and include irritability, tiredness and poor ability to concentrate.

What is sleep apnoea?

Sleep apnoea may be a serious and potentially life-threatening condition which is characterised by repetitive and brief disruptions of airflow while being asleep. Being a condition which has a male predominance, sleep disorder is common in people over 40 years old and infrequently goes undiagnosed in women.
What’s the difference between sleep apnoea and insomnia?

The main difference is that insomnia could be a condition where a person has trouble falling and sustaining sleep whereas a sleep disorder is a difficulty in breathing that takes place during sleep. While there are three different kinds of sleep disorders, the foremost common one is OSA. OSA is often caused by a shape that causes airflow blockage.

That blockage may cause someone to possess trouble breathing normally while sleeping, then their nervous system will wake them up in order that they can take a breath. If someone who is already at risk of anxiety, stress, and depression experiences this, it’s likely they’ll have trouble falling back asleep for the night which could create an insomnia event.

Insomnia will be caused by hormonal or mental conditions, like depression, stress, anxiety, and menopause. Substances like nicotine, caffeine, excessive alcohol, drug abuse, and over-the-counter drugs may also cause insomnia.

Can sleep disorder cause insomnia?

Sleep apnoea can cause insomnia indirectly. In this case, insomnia could be a symptom of apnoea. If you’ve ever woken up gasping for air in the middle of the night, it’s likely you had trouble falling back asleep—one of the hallmark symptoms of insomnia—and thus, a sleep disorder caused insomnia. Research also suggests that diagnosing patients for insomnia requires extra care to make sure the patient doesn't even have OSA.